Jean-Christian Rostagniis a French photographer struggling to survive in the American South and in the world of fine art. He's an old-world purist who stubbornly refuses to compromise for the sake of marketing.

When his wife gives him one year to make it as an artist or get a real job, he lands a gallery show that could be his last chance.

Monsieur Contraste explores the work and the vision of a complex artist who has spent the last four decades making photography his religion. We see what it takes to create ambitious art, the process and its toll, physically and financially, on an entire family.